Persimmon vinegar powder and process for preparing the same

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to process for preparing persimmon vinegar, in which persimmon extract is added to persimmon concentrate to obtain a mixture and then the mixture is spray dried; and vinegar powder having a taste and a smell convenient to eat, produced by the process. The persimmon vinegar powder is prepared by concentrating persimmon vinegar to 12˜18° BX using vacuum concentrator to obtain a concentrate of persimmon vinegar; adding 15˜30 weight % of extract of persimmon leaf and 5˜9 weight % of cyclodextrin, based on the weight of the concentrate, to the concentrate to obtain a solution and then stirring the solution; dissolving 1˜5 weight % of lactose, 25˜35 weight % of maltodextrin, and 5˜9 weight % of gum, based on weight of the concentrate, in the stirred solution and homogenizing the solution: and spray drying the homogenized solution to obtain a powder. According to the present invention, a sour taste of persimmon vinegar is eliminated and a characteristic flavor of persimmon leaf is added, which lead to prepare persimmon vinegar powder having improved preference, and also prepare standard and economical persimmon vinegar powder by use of the concentrate. The method may prepare vinegar powders from vinegar, which is made from numerous fruits and vegetables such as grape, apricot, plum, garlic, etc. In some cases, Chineses matrimony vine, Maximowiczia chinensis and pine needle may be added.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to persimmon vinegar powder and process forpreparing the same. More particularly, the invention relates to processfor preparing persimmon vinegar, in which persimmon extract is added topersimmon concentrate to obtain a mixture and then the mixture is spraydried; and vinegar powder having a taste and a smell convenient to eat,produced by the process. The process inhibits loss of active ingredientsof the persimmon vinegar powder.

BACKGROUND ART

Persimmon (Diasoyros kaki), which is a nutritious and alkaline fruit,contains 11˜15% of sugar such as fructose and glucose, about 20˜50mg/100 g (edible portion) of vitamin C, which is about 5˜12 times asmuch as that of apple, and more minerals than apple. Additionally,persimmon contains a great quantity of vitamin A and tannic acid, thelatter of which produces a bitter taste. Especially, tannic acid isknown to remedy diarrhea or stomach disorder, as well as lower the bloodpressure without affecting an electrocardigram. Accordingly, many ofresearch in persimmon, as both food and medicine, are actively going on.

Amount of persimmon produced in domestic was about 155,111 ton (in1992), but has been increasing yearly to about 239,570 ton in 1997.Also, cultivation area of persimmon is increasing yearly. Because thepersimmon has a higher profitability than other fruit, e.g., apple,significant increasing of its cultivation area is expected. Thus, thereis a need for the development of persimmon for use as both food andmedicine.

Meanwhile, persimmon vinegar has been produced for a long time, in orderto obtain maximally the effect of the beneficial nutrients in persimmon.Persimmon vinegar is described as “new fruit vinegar” in the literatureof [San-Lim Kyun-je, published in the late Chosun Dysnasty]. Vinegar isa widely used seasoning, and its constituents has been known to haveimportant influences on the human metabolism, since Krebs (U.S.A) andKipman (England) reported the TCA cycle theory in 1953.

Vinegar contains a great quantity of organic acids involved in the TCAcycle, including acetic acid, and thus smoothly activates the TCA cyclewithout accumulating a lactic acid in body. Therefore, the vinegar iseffective to refresh and makes the blood a weak alkali. Such vinegar hasbeen made from numerous fruits and grains. Of these, persimmon vinegarhas a better flavor than others (for example, apple vinegar, brown ricevinegar, etc.). The persimmon vinegar also contains a great quantity oftannin, which is a polyphenolic compound, and thus lowers the bloodpressure and strengthens blood vessels. The persimmon vinegar alsocontains a great quantity of acetic acid as main component and otherorganic acids involved in TCA cycle, which make it good for refreshment,increase appetite and prevent numerous adult diseases.

Despites the fact that persimmon vinegar is a traditional fermentedseasoning, there are few studies of persimmons and persimmon vinegar.But today, as the interest in health food is increased, it began tostudy pharmacological components of persimmon and standard method forpreparing the persimmon vinegar. Sugahara et al. studied a preferencefor persimmon beverages (reference: Sugahara, T., et al., The preferencefor Kaki beverage. Nippon Shokuhin Kogyo Gakkaishi, 33(4), 281-284,1987). Nakashima et al. produced persimmon vinegar using an Acetobacter,which isolated from persimmon during fermentation of the persimmon, andstudied changes in the composition of the persimmon vinegar (reference:Nakashima, M., et al., Changes in the composition of persimmon vinegarinduced by Acetobacter sp. isolated from “Sanja” persimmon fruits duringthe fermentation; Nippon Shokuhin Kohyo Gakkaishi, 34(12). 818-825,1987). Nippon patents relating to persimmon vinegar include a method forproducing alcohol beverage using persimmon (reference: Nipponnonexamined patent No. 56-25104), and a method for preparing persimmonvinegar that reduces alcohol concentration in blood (reference: Nipponnonexamined patent No. 61-224980).

There is a report that superior strain producing an acetic acid isisolated and cultivated with stirring to obtain persimmon vinegar havingan acidity of 5%, in Korea (ref: Won Sub CHA, Joon hee PARK, Jin Gu KIM;Study of production of persimmon vinegar, 20, 29-32, 1980, in articlesof Sang-ju Agricultural Specialized University). Also, there has been astudy of development of instant vinegar, in which major microorganisminvolved in fermentation of persimmon vinegar is isolated from persimmonvinegar and then identified, and concentration of acetic acid is assayed(ref: Myung Chan KIM et al., Production of vinegar using persimmon,Korean Industrial Microbiology, 8(2), 103-111, 1980). Also, there hasbeen continuous studies of production of persimmon vinegar, includingstudy of production of persimmon vinegar using Saccharomyces cerevisiaeFWKS 260 yeast and Acetobacter aceti (ref.: Choong Yeon WON et al.,Study of development of instant vinegar using persimmon, KoreanNutritional Food Academic Committee Fall Thesis Presentations, p. 55,1994), and study of production of vinegar using persimmon whichdeteriorated due to low temperature storage (ref: Korean NutritionalFood Academic Committee, 25(1), 123-128, 1996). Korean patents relatingto persimmon vinegar include a method for preparing persimmon vinegar(Korean Patent Publication Nos. 93-008120, 98-151732, and Korean PatentAppln. No. 98-002239), a method for producing a galenical preparationusing persimmon vinegar (Korean Patent Open-laid No. 96-028915), amethod for preparing instant persimmon vinegar (Korean PatentPublication No. 98-149279), method for preparing beverage compositioncontaining persimmon vinegar (Korean Patent Open-laid No. 97-032521),and a method for preparing persimmon vinegar using a fertile egg ofwhite silky fowl (Korean Patent Open-laid No. 97-074922). However, allthese previous studies are limited to the production of persimmonvinegar or simple application of already-produced persimmon vinegar tobeverages, and fail to extend to the study of the technique forprocessing persimmon vinegar into beverage convenient to drink.

Now, persimmon vinegar is used as sour seasoning for cooking in Korea,but major use of the persimmon vinegar is to directly drink it as healthfood. In such case, it is general to dilute it and directly drink itwith honey. However, even though it is diluted, characteristic strongsour taste and smell of the persimmon vinegar make it very difficult andsubstantially painful to drink. Also, since being in liquid form, it isinconvenient to carry and difficult to use as an ingredient for cooking.Accordingly, there is a need for the development of technique capable ofovercoming these disadvantages. That is to say, persimmon vinegar,having acidity of approximately 4%, generally has strong smell and tasteof its own and thus is inadequate to directly drink in terms ofpreference. Also, liquid form of the persimmon vinegar limits handlingof the vinegar, blending with other food, as well as its application anduse. Therefore, it is attempted to pulverize persimmon vinegar, in orderto overcome such disadvantages.

Korean Patent Open-laid No. 98-000188 describes a method for preparingpersimmon vinegar powder, in which molecules of the persimmon vinegar isentrapped using a entrapping property of dextrin, smell of the persimmonvinegar is entrapped using a gum, and then persimmon vinegar as above isdried. However, the above method is a merely one which a general methodfor pulverizing liquefied material is applied to persimmon vinegar. Themethod has a difficulty in properly alleviating a sour taste ofpersimmon vinegar or entrapping a smell of its own. The method alsocomprises the step of pretreating or aging persimmon vinegar in a sealedcontainer, which makes processing of the vinegar complex and requires aconsiderable time. Thus, the method is inadequate for pulverization ofpersimmon vinegar. Also, since the method uses a stock solution ofpersimmon vinegar, the used container has to be very large,concentration of persimmon vinegar in persimmon vinegar powder is verylow and concentration fluctuation of persimmon vinegar is very severe.Especially, the sour taste of the persimmon vinegar powder, whichprepared by the method is not adequately masked, and thus problems ofprior liquefied persimmon vinegar still remain, when consuming thepersimmon vinegar powder. Therefore, there is a need for techniques,which can control taste and smell of the persimmon vinegar so that itcan be consumed directly, and inhibit a loss of active ingredients ofvinegar, as well as prepare persimmon vinegar powder of good quality ina standard and convenient way.

Therefore, we make an effort to pulverize persimmon vinegar to make iteasy to consume. In result, we found that when extract of persimmon leafand the other excipients are added to a concentrate of persimmon vinegarto obtain a mixture, and then the mixture is pulverized, sour taste ofpersimmon vinegar can be eliminated and the characteristic flavor ofpersimmon leaf is added, which lead to prepare persimmon vinegar powderhaving an enhanced preference. We also found that standard andeconomical persimmon vinegar powder can be produced by use of theconcentrate of persimmon vinegar, so as to complete the presentinvention.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a method forpreparing persimmon vinegar powder, by making a concentrate frompersimmon vinegar, adding extract of persimmon leaf and the otherexcipients to the concentrate to obtain mixture, and stirring,homogenizing and spray drying the mixture successively.

It is another object of the invention to provide persimmon vinegarpowder that can be produced by the method.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a graph illustrating a viscosity change according to theconcentration of the persimmon vinegar concentrate.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the process formaking extract of persimmon leaf.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the process formaking persimmon vinegar powder.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The present persimmon vinegar powder is produced by a method, comprisingthe steps of (i) concentrating persimmon vinegar to 12˜18° BX usingvacuum concentrator to obtain a concentrate of persimmon vinegar; (ii)adding 15˜30 weight % of extract of persimmon leaf and 5˜9 weight % ofcyclodextrin, based on the weight of the concentrate, to the concentrateto obtain a solution and then stirring the solution; (iii) dissolving1˜5 weight % of lactose, 25˜35 weight % of maltodextrin, and 5˜9 weight% of gum, based on weight of the concentrate, in the stirred solutionand homogenizing the solution: and (iv) spray drying the homogenizedsolution to obtain a powder.

A method for preparing persimmon vinegar powder will now be morespecifically described in stepwise.

1. The First Step: Process for Obtaining a Concentrate of PersimmonVinegar

The persimmon vinegar is concentrated to 12˜18° BX, in order to obtain aconcentrate of persimmon vinegar. The persimmon vinegar is any persimmonvinegar based on persimmon, including commercially available persimmonvinegar or persimmon vinegar made by direct fermentation of persimmon athome. The persimmon vinegar is firstly concentrated to 12˜18° BX,preferably 14˜16° BX, in order to standardize the process, inhibit avolumic increasing of intermediate produced during the process, andprovide the best pulverizing condition in which the active ingredientsof the persimmon vinegar can be retained as it is. We ascertained thatthe concentration of persimmon vinegar most suitable to retain theactive ingredients as it is, was approximately 15° BX, by analyzing thechromacity, viscosity, pH, acidity and content of organic acid.

2. Second Step: Stirring Process

15˜30 weight % of extract of persimmon leaf and 5˜9 weight % ofcyclodextrin, based on weight of the concentrate of the persimmonvinegar (obtained from the first step), are added to the concentratewith stirring. The extract of persimmon leaf is added to alleviate thesour taste of persimmon vinegar and enhance characteristic flavor andtaste of persimmon leaf. The extract of persimmon leaf is prepared bythe steps of washing the persimmon leaves, steaming it at 100˜120° C.for 1˜10 minutes and then drying it for 1˜2 hours using a hot blast at35˜50° C.; adding 8˜12 liters/kg (dried persimmon leaves) of water tothe dried leaves, extracting the leaves at 90˜100° C. for 10˜30 minutes,and then compression filtering the extract using bag filter to obtainonly liquid; and concentrating the liquid to 12˜18° BX using vacuumconcentrator. The use of extract of persimmon leaf having sameconcentration as that of concentrate of persimmon vinegar canstandardize a process, and when the extract is spray dried, powder of agood quality can be obtained. Also, cyclodextrin is added to entrap thetaste and smell of persimmon vinegar. It is most preferable to usecyclodextrin that efficiently entraps the smell.

3. Third Step: Homogenizing Process

When the mixed solution is sufficiently stirred by the second step, 1˜5weight % of lactose, 25˜35 weight % of maltodextrin, and 5˜9 weight % ofgum, based on weight of concentrate of persimmon vinegar, are dissolvedin the stirred mixed solution, and the solution is homogenized. Thelactose is added to alleviate the sour taste of persimmon vinegar, andthe lactose significantly softens the biting sour taste of persimmonvinegar. Also, the maltodextrin is added to aid pulverization of thevinegar, and the gum is added to prevent moisture-absorption of thevinegar powder and impart gloss to the powder. As the gum, one or moreselected from carrageenan, agar, alginate, guar gum, gum arabic, rocustbean gum, xanthan gum, pectin and carboxymethyl cellulose, etc. areadded according to their weights. It is preferable to use gum arabic.Homogenizing is effected using a high-pressure homogenizer at thetemperature of 0˜20° C. for 2˜10 minutes so that the mixed solution ishomogeneously mixed. Hereby, homogenized solution is obtained.

4. Fourth Step: Spray Drying Process

The homogenized solution obtained from the third step is spray driedusing spray drier to obtain persimmon vinegar powder. The spray dryingis effected using spray drier under conditions of inlet air temperatureof 150˜180° C., outlet air temperature of 80˜100° C. and atomizer speedof 15,000˜25,000 rpm, while the homogenized solution being infused atthe rate of 20˜40 ml/min. By the spray drying, a pale brown, flowingpersimmon vinegar powder of good quality can be obtained.

The following examples further illustrate the present invention. Thesesexamples are presented only for the purpose of illustrating theinvention, and the skilled artisan will appreciate that thesenon-limiting examples are presented only for the purpose of specificallyexplaining the invention. In examples, persimmon vinegar is described asexample, but vinegars made from numerous fruits or vegetables, such asgrape, apricot, plum, garlic, and etc. are also included in the scope ofthe invention.

EXAMPLE 1 Analysis of Physicochemical Characteristics of a Concentrateof Persimmon Vinegar

Various concentration of concentrates of persimmon vinegar were producedfrom the persimmon vinegar, and each concentrate was analyzed andevaluated for physicochemical characteristics such as chromacity,vicosity, acidity, as well as ingredients of organic acid and aromatics,in order to find out a concentration of persimmon vinegar most suitableto produce persimmon vinegar powder. We measured a solid content ofstock solution of commercially available persimmon vinegar (100%persimmon, acidity of below 4%, Dae Yang Co.) using saccharometer (AtagoJapan) to find out its solid content to be 5.4° BX. Also, the stocksolution of persimmon vinegar was vacuum concentrated to makeconcentrates of persimmon vinegar with concentrations of 20° BX, 30° BX,40° BX, 50° BX, 60° BX and 70° BX at 55° C. Also, condensates obtainedin making of concentrates of 20° BX and 40° BX, were collectedseparately and used as analytical samples.

EXAMPLE 1a Chromacity of Concentrates of Persimmon Vinegar

The concentrates of persimmon vinegar of 20° BX, 30° BX, 40° BX, 50° BX,60° BX and 70° BX were equally diluted into a concentration of 5.4° BX,so as to obtain samples of concentrates of persimmon vinegar withconcentrations of 5.4° BX. The 5.4° BX stock solution, the samples ofconcentrates (with concentration of 5.4° BX), and the condensatescollected in Example 1 were measured for lightness (L), redness (a) andyellowness (b) using color and color difference meter (HunterLabColorQuest II, USA). Also, the measured values were compared with thoseof unconcentrated stock solution of persimmon vinegar to obtain colordifferences (ΔE ab), thereby colors change according to concentrationsbeing investigated (see Table 1). The standard white board used forcomparison has a lightness, redness and yellowness of 92.68, 0.81 and0.86, respectively (ref: Jae Chul SONG, Hyun Jung PARK, Study of FoodMaterial Science, UI San University Press, Ulsan, p. 80-84, 1995).

TABLE 1 color differences of concentrates of persimmon vinegar shown byΔE ab ΔE ab value Color differences   0~0.5 Very little difference(almost none) 0.5~1.5 Little difference 1.5~3.0 Just discernabledifference 3.0~6.0 Noticeable difference 6.0~12.0 Considerablynoticeable difference More than 12 Classified as a difference color

As described above, we measured the chromacity of concentrates ofpersimmon vinegar, and find out that the stock solution of persimmonvinegar has lightness and a yellowness of 56.48 and 17.95, respectively,which show a slight brown color. However, when the stock solution wasconcentrated to a concentration of 20° BX, its lightness and yellownesswere decreased to 12.39 and 5.48 respectively, which show a dark browncolor, even though the 20° BX concentrate was diluted to sameconcentration as the stock solution (see Table 2). Also, the 20° BXconcentrate showed color difference of 45.729 compared with that ofstock solution. These confirmed the fact that concentration of persimmonvinegar induced change of color, and the more concentration wasprogressed, more lightness and yellowness were decreased, thereby thecolor of persimmon vinegar being changed into a darker and deeper color.Also, these mean that even though persimmon vinegar is concentrated at alower temperature of 55° C. by vacuum concentration, significantbrowning is occurred, and that it is preferable to concentrate it into adesired concentration at a low temperature in a shortime, in order tomaintain a color of persimmon as it is.

TABLE 2 The chromacity of concentrations of persimmon vinegar accordingto their concentrations Lightness Redness Yellowness Color difference(L) (a) (b) (ΔE ab) 5.4° BX stock solution 56.48 3.16 17.95  20° BXconcentrate diluted to 5.4° BX 12.39 2.44 5.84 45.729  30° BXconcentrate diluted to 5.4° BX 9.26 1.97 4.53 49.104  40° BX concentratediluted to 5.4° BX 8.61 1.96 4.20 49.820  50° BX concentrate diluted to5.4° BX 6.68 2.15 3.77 51.789  60° BX concentrate diluted to 5.4° BX5.64 2.42 3.32 52.908  70° BX concentrate diluted to 5.4° BX 4.40 3.092.87 54.219 Condensate obtained in making of 20° BX 96.01 −0.44 0.53concentrate

EXAMPLE 1b Viscosity of the Concentrate of Persimmon Vinegar

Apparent viscosities of the 5.4° BX stock solution, and 20° BX, 30° BX,40° BX, 50° BX, 60° BX and 70° BX concentrates were measured using acylindrical viscosimeter (Haake RV20, UK). We measured a change of shearstress while the shearing rate was increased from 0 s⁻¹ to 1,500 s⁻¹ at20° C. for 1 minute, and investigated the flowing characteristic andapparent viscosity of fluid (ref.: Hee Don CHOI et al., The Rheologycharacteristics of pear juice, Korean Food Science Academic Magazine,27(6), 845-854, 1995). The change of apparent viscosities of 5.4° BXstock solution and the above concentrates according to theirconcentrations is shown in FIG. 1. In the FIG. 1, (♦) represents flowingcharacteristic of 5.4° BX stock solution of persimmon vinegar, (□)represents that of 20° BX concentrate of persimmon vinegar, (▪)represents that of 30° BX concentrate of persimmon vinegar, (∇)represents that of 40° BX concentrate of persimmon vinegar, (▾)represents that of 50° BX concentrate of persimmon vinegar, (◯)represents that of 60° BX concentrate of persimmon vinegar, and (●)represents that of 70° BX concentrate of persimmon vinegar. As shown inFIG. 1, in case of the stock solution, 20° BX concentrate and 30° BXconcentrate, shear stresses were increased slowly as concentrations ofthe concentrates were increased. Also, these solutions showed linearNewtonian flowing characteristic. However, in case of 40° BX, 50° BX,60° BX and 70° BX concentrates, shear stresses were increased sharply asconcentrations of the concentrates were increased. Also, theseconcentrates showed pseudoplastic flowing characteristic. Whenconsidering a concentration of 30° BX as a standard, difference betweenconcentrates (or solution) below 30° BX and concentrates exceeding 30°BX, in apparent viscosity (shearing ability/shearing rate, linear slope)at shearing rate of 600 s⁻¹ was significant. Therefore, concentrateshaving high concentrations exceeding 30° BX had very high viscosities,and had a difficulty in transporting and handling. Also, concentrateshaving low concentrations below 30° BX seemed to be suitable to make amanufacturing process efficient and simplify the process.

EXAMPLE 1c pH and Acidity of Concentrates of Persimmon Vinegar

The pH and acidity of 5.4° BX stock solution, and 5.4° BX samplesobtained by diluting 20° BX, 30° BX, 40° BX, 50° BX, 60° BX and 70° BXconcentrates into 5.4° BX, as well as condensate obtained in making a20° BX concentrate were directly measured using pH meter (Orion SA520,USA). Appropriate amount of samples were taken from the solutions, andpH electrode was immersed in the samples. And then, 1.0 N NaOH solutionwas added to the sample until pH of the sample was 8.1(±0.2) at ambienttemperature. The acidity was calculated by converting the used amount of1.0 N NaOH solution into amount of acetic acid using the followingequation (1 ml of 1.0 N NaOH solution=0.06 g of acetic acid): acidity(%)=[0.06 g×the used amount (ml) of 1.0 N NaOH solution]×100/(weight ofsample (g)) (See Table 3). As shown in Table 3, the pH and acidity of5.4° BX stock solution before concentration were 3.81 and 5.00respectively, but pH was increased and acidity was decreased as theconcentration of the solution was increased. As the result, the 70° BXconcentrate had pH and acidity of 4.66 and 1.04 respectively. Thecondensate (2.6° BX) had a very low pH of 2.71, and very high acidity of4.29 respectively. This confirmed the fact that a quantity of acids wasreleased into condensate when the solution was concentrated. Therefore,vacuum concentration of persimmon vinegar that removes the biting smelland taste appropriately is to be effected as less as possible, providedthat the vacuum concentration is effected until concentration ofpersimmon vinegar reaches a level required for spray drying.

TABLE 3 The pH and acidity of concentrates of persimmon vinegar pHAcidity 5.4° BX stock solution of persimmon 3.81 5.00 vinegar  20° BXconcentrate diluted to 5.4° BX 4.23 2.54  30° BX concentrate diluted to5.4° BX 4.34 2.02  40° BX concentrate diluted to 5.4° BX 4.43 1.65  50°BX concentrate diluted to 5.4° BX 4.51 1.45  60° BX concentrate dilutedto 5.4° BX 4.58 1.25  70° BX concentrate diluted to 5.4° BX 4.66 1.04Condensate obtained in making of 2.71 4.29  20° BX concentrate

EXAMPLE 1d Analysis of Organic Acids in Concentrates of PersimmonVinegar

5.4° BX stock solution, and 5.4° BX samples obtained by diluting 20° BX,30° BX, 40° BX, 50° BX, 60° BX and 70° BX concentrates into 5.4° BX, aswell as condensate obtained in making a 20° BX concentrate were filteredthrough 0.25 μm membrane filter, and contents of organic acids in thesolutions were analyzed with HPLC. Supelco gel (300×7.8 mm, Supelco Co.)was used as column, and 0.1% phosphoric acid was used as solvent. Thecontents of organic acids in the solutions were detected with UV, usingacetic acid, citric acid, lactic acid, malic acid and oxalic acid asstandard sample of organic acid, under conditions of moving rate ofsolvent of 0.5 ml/min. and temperature of 20° C. (see Table 4).

TABLE 4 The contents of organic acids in concentrates of persimmonvinegar according to concentraion of the concentrates Acetic acid citricacid Lactic acid Malic acid Oxalic acid (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) 5.4° BXoriginal liquid 2.342 0.018 0.177 — —  20° BX concentrate diluted to5.4° BX 1.216 0.030 0.133 — —  30° BX concentrate diluted to 5.4° BX1.054 0.033 0.309 — —  40° BX concentrate diluted to 5.4° BX 0.882 0.0340.379 — —  50° BX concentrate diluted to 5.4° BX 0.751 0.036 0.404 — — 60° BX concentrate diluted to 5.4° BX 0.593 0.034 0.282 — —  70° BXconcentrate diluted to 5.4° BX 0.492 0.028 0.343 — — Condensate obtainedin making of 20° BX 2.159 — 0.0013 — — concentrate * —: Undetected

As shown in Table 4, the solutions were analyzed for content of organicacids, and, as the result, acetic acid, lactic acid and citric acid weredetected sequentially, and malic acid and oxalic acid were undetected.Also, the stock solution (solid content of 2.7° BX) comprised 2.342% ofacetic acid, which is 86.7% of total solids. However, as the stocksolution was increasingly concentrated, the contents of citric acid andlactic acid were substantially unchanged, and the content of acetic acidwas significantly decreased. That is to say, while the 70° BXconcentrate diluted to 2.7° BX had a decreased content (18.2%) of aceticacid in total solids, the condensate (2.6° BX) comprised 83.03% (insolids) of acetic acid. These confirmed the fact that a quantity ofacids was released into condensate when the solution was concentrated.When used as seasonings, the persimmon vinegar preferably comprised highcontent of acetic acid, in order to provide smell and taste of own withonly a little amount. However, when the persimmon vinegar is consumeddirectly as health food, the biting taste and smell are disadvantages.Thus, it is advantage to remove too strong taste and smell to directlyconsume the vinegar as up to 20° BX concentrates, and make the vinegarmore susceptible for spray drying.

Putting together the Example 1 as described above, the concentrationmost suitable to make persimmon vinegar powder was preferably below 20°BX, particularly 12˜18° BX.

EXAMPLE 2 The Preparation of Extract of Persimmon Leaf

Extract of persimmon leaf, which is added in order to alleviate the sourtaste of persimmon vinegar and improve a flowing characteristic ofpowder, as well as increase the characteristic taste and smell of theleaf, were prepared as follows. 10 kg of persimmon leaves were washedwith water in several times, dried, steamed at 110° C. for 2 minutes,and dried with a hot blast at 40° C. for 1 hours. 10 liters/kg(persimmon leaves) of water were added to the dried leaves, and theleaves were steamed at 100° C. for 20 minutes and compression filteredthrough bag filter to remove impurities. The obtained filtrate wasconcentrated to 15° BX in a vacuum concentrator at 40° C. to obtain 3000ml of extract of persimmon leaf. The extract was stored in refrigeratorat 4° C.

EXAMPLE 3 The Preparation of Persimmon Vinegar Powder and Calculation ofOptimal Blending Ratio

In order to establish an optional blending ratio for pulverizing ofpersimmon vinegar, mixed solutions of 7 different blending ratios wereprepared, and spray dried with spray drier (Ohakawara L-8, Japan) toobtain powders. And then, qualities of the powders corresponding to eachblending ratio were evaluated (see Tables 5 and 6). In this Example, the15° BX and 20° BX concentrates of persimmon vinegar, as well as 15° BXextract of persimmon leaf, in which active ingredients such as organicacids, pH, and acidity has been retained as it is as possible as, andthe characteristic smell and taste of persimmon has been substantiallyremoved, were used. Cyclodextrin was added to the concentrates to formsolutions, and the solutions were stirred using stirrer at 20° C. for 2hours. Lactose, maltodextrin DE 10˜20 and Gum Arabic were dissolved inthe concentrates of persimmon vinegar to form solutions, and thesolutions were homogenized with homogenizer at 20° C. for 5 minutes andpulverized using spray drier. Operating conditions of the spray drierwere set as follows: inlet air temperature 160° C., outlet airtemperature 90° C., atomizer speed 20,000 rpm, and feed rate 30 ml/min.It was confirmed that these conditions were most suitable to spray dryby a preliminary test.

TABLE 5 Blending ratios of components in persimmon vinegar powdersConcentration of Extract of Cyclo- Malto- Gum Blending persimmonpersimmon dextrin Lactose dextrin Arabic ratio vinegar (g) leaf (g) (g)(g) (g) (g) 1 20° BX, 100.0 — 3.0 4.5 18.0 — 2 20° BX, 100.0 — 10.5 7.042.0 10.5 3 20° BX, 100.0 — 9.0 6.0 36.0 9.0 4 20° BX, 100.0 — — 7.052.5 10.5 5 20° BX, 90.0 15° BX, 10.0 7.5 2.5 32.5 7.5 6 20° BX, 80.015° BX, 20.0 7.5 2.5 32.5 7.5 7 20° BX, 70.0 15° BX, 30.0 7.5 2.5 32.57.5

TABLE 6 Qualities of the Powders having various blending ratios Specificgravity of Powderable Hygroscopic property particles Sour tasteCharacteristic Powder of No. 1 blending ratio +++++ +++++ +++++ + Powderof No. 2 blending ratio ++ +++ +++ ++++ Powder of No. 3 blending ratio+++ ++ ++++ +++ Powder of No. 4 blending ratio ++ +++ ++ +++ Powder ofNo. 5 blending ratio ++ +++ ++++ +++ Powder of No. 6 blending ratio +++++ +++ +++++ Powder of No. 7 blending ratio + ++++ +++ +++++ NotesPowderable characteristic: +very bad +++++very good hygroscopicproperty: +very little +++++very much Specific gravity of particles:+relatively light +++++relatively heavy Sour taste: +very weak +++++verystrong

Upon the spray dried persimmon vinegar powders of No. 1˜7 blendingratios were evaluated for characteristic sour taste of persimmonvinegar, hygroscopic property, specific gravity of particles, andoverall powderable characteristic, we recognized that powder of No. 1had a strong hygroscopic property, and were too sticky to be pulverizedin the spray drier. Also, some of the dried powders absorbed moistureand were sticky immediately after exposed to air, and had strong burntsmell and taste. Therefore, for powder of No. 2 blending ratio, gumarabic and cyclodextrin were additionally added to prevent amoisture-absorption, and spray dried to entrap some fresh taste andsmell of persimmon vinegar. The powder of No. 2 blending ratio had agood flowing characteristic due to addition of gum arabic, whichprevents moisture-absorption of the powder when the power were spraydried. Also, the powder of No. 2 blending ratio had little burnt tasteand smell due to addition of cyclodextrin, and had quite fresh taste andsmell. But, in case of the powder of No. 2 blending ratio, theconcentration of total solids was 52.9° BX, which was very high, and thepowder solution had a high viscosity. Thus, when spray dried withatomizer, the solution of No. 2 blending ration formed long and finethreads, thereby reticular particles, which had a relatively lowspecific gravity being formed in the solution. On the other hand,persimmon vinegar having No. 3 blending ratio comprised relatively smallamounts of lactose, gum arabic, and cyclodextrin, which were moreexpensive than other excipients, and had a low concentration of totalsolids. Thus, when spray dried using atomizer, the persimmon vinegarhaving No. 3 blending formed few of the threads, and was suitable to bepulverized (good powderable characteristic).

The persimmon vinegar of No. 4 blending ratio was spray dried, in orderto confirm cyclodextrin's entraping effects of taste and smell. As theresult, the vinegar of No. 4 blending ratio showed a worse powderablecharacteristic, and still less characteristic smell and fresh taste ofpersimmon leaf when examined in sensory test, compared with the No. 2blending ratio. These confirmed that cyclodextrin had to be added to thevinegar of No. 4 blending ratio, in order to preserve taste and smell ofpersimmon vinegar appropriately. In order to prevent a forming ofreticular particles in the vinegar of No. 2 blending ratio, the Nos. 5,6, and 7 blending ratios, to which extract of persimmon leaf had beenadded, were spray dried. As the result, as the content of the extract ofpersimmon leaf were increased, hygroscopic property of the dried powderwas diminished and its flowing property was improved, which lead to anoverall improvement in powderable characteristic. The reason thataddition of the extract leads improvement in powderable characteristicseemed to be the fact that the extract contains a significant amount ofamylaceous polymers such as excipients which help the extract to bespray dried easily. When 30% of 15° BX concentrate of persimmon leafwere added to powder, the powder showed a characteristic smell ofpersimmon leaf, but it also showed a bitter taste. Therefore, it wasconfirmed that concentration of the concentrate suitable to be added wasabout 20%.

In conclusion, since the powder, which absorbs less moisture and has aheavy specific gravity, flowing property, and very good powderablecharacteristic and appropriate sour taste, was considered better, theNos. 6 and 7 blending ratios seemed to be suitable to prepare persimmonvinegar powder. Since No. 7 blending ratio had a characteristic bittertaste of persimmon leaf, No 6 blending ratio seemed to be optimal.

EXAMPLE 4 The Preparation of Persimmon Vinegar Powder Having the OptimalBlending Ratio

Persimmon vinegar powder having an optimal blending ratio (confirmed inExample) was prepared and analyzed for physicochemical property. Also,sensory evaluation was performed in the powder. 20 g of 15° BX extractof persimmon leaf and 7.5 g of cyclodextrin were added to the 80 g of15° BX concentrate of persimmon vinegar to obtain a solution. Thesolution was stirred with stirrer at 20° C. for 2 hours, and then 2.5 gof lactose, 32.5 g of maltodextrin and 7.5 g of gum arabic weredissolved in the stirred solution. The solution was homogenized withhomogenizer at 20° C. for 5 minutes and pulverized with spray drier.

It should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments ofthe invention described herein may be employed in practicing theinvention. It is intended that the following claims define the scope ofthe invention and that construction within the scope of these claims andtheir equivalents are covered thereby.

THE EFFECT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to persimmon vinegar powder and method forpreparing the same, in which the persimmon vinegar is concentrated toobtain a concentrate of persimmon vinegar, extract of persimmon leaf andother excipients are added to the concentrate, and the obtainedconcentrate is pulverized. According to the present invention, a sourtaste of persimmon vinegar is eliminated and a characteristic flavor ofpersimmon leaf is added, which lead to prepare persimmon vinegar powderhaving improved preference, and also prepare standard and economicalpersimmon vinegar powder by use of the concentrate. The method mayprepare vinegar powders from vinegar, which is made from numerous fruitsand vegetables such as grape, apricot, plum, garlic, etc. In some cases,Chineses matrimony vine, Maximowiczia chinensis and pine needle may beadded.

1. A method for preparing persimmon vinegar powder, comprising the stepsof the following: concentrating a persimmon vinegar to 12˜18° BX in avacuum concentrator to obtain a concentrate of persimmon vinegar; adding15˜30 weight % of extract of persimmon leaf and 5˜9 weight % ofcyclodextrin, based on weight of the concentrate, to the concentrate toobtain a solution and then stirring the solution at 0˜30° C. for 30˜180minutes, wherein the extract of persimmon leaf is prepared by steamingpersimmon leaves at 100˜120° C. for 1˜10 minutes, drying it for 1˜2hours using a hot blast at 35˜50° C., adding 8˜12 liter/kg (driedpersimmon leaves) of water to the dried leaves, extracting the leaves at90˜100° C. for 10˜30 minutes, compression filtering the extract toobtain a liquid, and then concentrating the liquid to 12˜18° BX;dissolving 1˜5 weight % of lactose, 25˜35 weight % of maltodextrin, and5˜9 weight % of gum, based on weight of the concentrate, in the stirredsolution and homogenizing the solution at 0˜30° C. for 2˜10 minutes,wherein the gum is at least one selected from the group consisting ofcarrageenan, agar, alginate, guar gum, gum arabic, locust bean gum,xanthan gum, pectin and carboxymethyl cellulose; and spray drying thehomogenized solution using spray drier while the homogenized solutionbeing infused into the spray drier at the rate of 20˜40 ml/min, underconditions of inlet air temperature of 150˜180° C., outlet airtemperature of 80˜100° C. and atomizer speed of 15,000˜25,000 rpm, so asto obtain a powder.
 2. Persimmon vinegar powder prepared by the methodaccording to claim 1.